BROADCASTER ARCHIVES

Upping Your Grazing Game: Make Your Organic Dairy Operation Even Better
By Bridget O'Meara

This article was first printed in the Nov/Dec 2009 issue of the Organic Broadcaster, published by the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service.

If you are an organic dairy farmer, you are already successful. You provide high quality milk without the use of prohibited pesticides and herbicides, hormones, antibiotics or GMOs. You keep business, your farm and your herd healthy by building productive capacity and focusing on long-term sustainability rather than short-term profits. You have gone through the certification process and have earned the recognition and compensation that goes with the USDA Organic label. But in order to comply with the new NOP standard, which requires a minimum average of 30% dry matter from fresh pasture, you may have to up your grazing game. Fortunately, there are many resources available in the Upper Midwest, including several established networks of graziers willing to share their knowledge and experiences. Before you invest time, energy and money in expanding your pastures, it’s worth taking advantage of existing opportunities to learn more about managed grazing.

In managed grazing systems, ruminants are rotated through paddocks of high quality legumes and grasses, which are then allowed to rest and re-grow. Rotational grazing works with biological processes to build soil fertility, preserve and protect water resources, increase the diversity of native plants and ensure that animals are healthy and productive. Grazing is a natural fit for organic dairy farms. Well-managed pastures do not require high amounts of synthetic inputs and pastured herds have fewer cases of mastitis and other problems that may require medical intervention. In addition, although establishing new pastures and paddocks does require some initial investment, grazing is highly cost effective. Good pasture management saves money spent on feed, soil inputs and fossil fuels, because the tractor stays parked and the cows do the harvesting, feeding and manure spreading.  

Pasture Walks
Grazing networks share information through pasture walks, which are probably the best introduction to managed grazing. These farm tours, which focus on grazing/pasture issues, are held throughout the region during the growing season. In Wisconsin alone, more than 100 pasture walks and grazing workshops were scheduled this past summer. Most of these events are free, except for the investment in time. Participants have an opportunity to see different managed grazing systems, to talk with other farmers and to get ideas and tips on what might work for their farm. Expert speakers are often brought in to discuss a wide range of topics related to grazing. Pasture walks in your area, on farms with similar soil types and terrain, may have the most relevance at the outset. But exposure to diverse grazing strategies and management systems can also be helpful. Most successful graziers stay open to new ideas and make a point of attending at least a couple of pasture walks every year.

Grazing Specialists
Because managed grazing provides many environmental services, state and federal agencies charged with protecting natural resources have grazing specialists on staff to assist farmers who are interested in improving their pasture management. Federal grazing specialists at Natural Resources Conservation Services (USDA-NRCS), for example, operate locally in every state and it is their job to provide farmers with free technical assistance. They are available to visit pastures, make recommendations and help create a blueprint for seeding, fencing, waterlines and lanes. They answer questions, provide support and are invaluable sources of information about managing pasture and livestock for optimum production and profit. Be sure to ask your NRCS agent about cost sharing available for implementing and improving rotational grazing systems under the "managed grazing 528 practice standard."  

To find a Pasture Walk or Grazing Specialist:
In Wisconsin, finding a nearby pasture walk or grazing specialist easy—just go to the GrassWorks, Inc. website at www.grassworks.org. GrassWorks is a statewide producer-run, non-profit organization that provides resources to farmers and serves as a clearinghouse of information from smaller grazing networks. The calendar features pasture walks organized by date as well as by grazing network. Grazing specialists are listed in a separate section with full contact information. There is an online library with plenty of “how-to” information as well as links to more grazing resources. In addition, brochures on the environmental and nutritional benefits of managed grazing, which farmers can use to educate consumers, are also available through the website.

In Minnesota, Iowa and other states in the Upper Midwest, there are many active grazing networks but no statewide grazier organizations, as in Wisconsin. Grazing networks, pasture walks and grazing specialists can be found by contacting your local NRCS, Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (NRCS-GLCI) or Extension office.  Non-profit organizations, such as MOSES (www.mosesorganic.org), Land Stewardship Project (www.landstewardshipproject.org) and Practical Farmers of Iowa (www.practicalfarmers.org), also host grazing field days and have thorough event calendars.

Grazing Conferences
As graziers develop an interest in organic certification and more organic farmers become interested in managed grazing, audiences for farming conferences increasingly overlap. The MOSES Organic Farming Conference features several workshops on pasture management each year. The Practical Farmers of Iowa Conference, which has always had a strong grazing focus, has begun to include more workshops on organic production. A few state-level conferences have merged, such as the now MN Organic and Grazing Conference. Some state-level grazing conferences take place during the summer and 2010 dates have not been released (Minnesota Grazefest, the Missouri Dairy Grazing Conference and the Iowa Grazing Conference). However, one grazing conference this winter is worth checking out: the 18th Annual Wisconsin Grazing Conference, a project of GrassWorks, Inc., will be held February 18-20, 2010, in Wisconsin Rapids, WI. 

Grazing Guidebook
To order a copy of the GrassWorks Beginning Grazing Guide, call Maryanne at 920-590-1511. It costs $25.00 and is packed with information.  Or, pick up a copy at the MOSES Bookstore at the Organic Farming Conference, in La Crosse, February 25-27, 2010.

Look for new free fact sheets on "Getting Started Grazing" at www.grassworks.org in January 2010.

Bridget is a teacher, writer, mother and long-time supporter of sustainable and organic agriculture.